


Mark I

by notyouranswer (gorgeouschaos)



Series: Born Iron, Forged Steel [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Gen, Iron Man 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23535649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gorgeouschaos/pseuds/notyouranswer
Summary: Once upon a time Tony Stark survived, and some people carefully didn’t wonder if he ever really made it out of the cave. Or the suit.There’s not much difference between the two, in the end.
Series: Born Iron, Forged Steel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693747
Kudos: 11





	Mark I

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sleep deprived and I've been meaning to edit and post this for a while. So. Here ya go. *shrugs*  
> Thanks for reading, hope you like it, and comments/kudos make my day! :)

They call him the Merchant of Death, call him a murderer or a playboy or a genius, depending on the day, and he loves it, he really does. The life in the spotlight comes with drugs and booze and girls throwing themselves at him and it never ends, it never _fucking ends,_ and--

And it’s everything he wants, ‘cause it makes the noise stop, sometimes.

Pepper judges him with increasing blatancy, and Rhodey worries, and Tony just wants his thoughts to quiet down. He sketches it all out, on holograms and crumpled napkins and discarded graph paper, but it never stops _,_ it never _fucking stops,_ and--

And he doesn’t want it to, ‘cause everyone knows his name. 

Tony builds himself a heart. The cold, metallic weight in his chest is a constant reminder of everything he’s done and failed to do. Tony builds himself the Mark I out of scraps and desperation.

Yinsen dies to get Tony out because he thinks Tony can do better, can be better.

Tony burns down every Ten Rings base he can find. The media calls Iron Man a hero and they call Tony broken.

Tony doesn’t really disagree with the latter assessment.

Rhodey and Pepper tell Tony to lie. 

Tony steps up to the podium fully intending to. When he opens his mouth, though, he can’t make himself lie. Not about this. Not about the only thing he’s sure of.

“I am Iron Man,” he tells a crowd of reporters, hungry and running on adrenaline and too goddamn tired to care anymore, and the smile he flashes is as blinding as the furious flashing of the cameras.

Tony builds his masks and his walls back up so well no one notices when he flinches; he teaches himself to fly like he has a death wish, and no one notices that, either.

(Because once upon a time Tony Stark was held captive in an Afghanistan cave. Because once upon a time Tony Stark built himself an arc reactor out of scraps and desperation.

Because once upon a time Tony Stark survived, and some people carefully didn’t wonder if he ever really made it out of the cave. Or the suit. 

There’s not much difference between the two, in the end.)


End file.
